Mold and process for battery-jars



H.I WEIDA. MULD AN'D PROCESS FOR BATTERY JARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 1919. lga, Patented Nov. 16,1920;I

UNITED stares,

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY WEIDA, OF HIGHLAND PARK, NEW JERSEY, A.SSGNOR TO INDIA RUBBER COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

MOLD AND PROCESS FOR; BATTERY-JARS.

isaaeos.

Application filed December 18, 1919.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY WEIDA, a citizen of the United States, r'esidiiig at Highland Park, county of Middlesex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molds and Processes for Battery-Jars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a mold and a process for pressing or forming articles such as battery jars from plastic materials such as rubber composition.

Heretofore battery jars have been formed in a variety of ways the most common being complicated and expensive devicesfor compressing the side walls and sometimes also the bottom. These prior devices have not onlybeen complicated and expensive but have also been bulky, taking up a large amount of space and liable to get out of order. The present invention aims to provide a new and improved type of mechanical compressor for plastic articles, such as single or plural compartment battery jars, which is simple in construction, which is so small and compact that it occupies the minimum of space in the factory, which is not likely to get out o'l'. order, and which is so simple to operate and so reliable in operation that almost any unskilled workman could be employed to manufacture plastic articles therewith.

Briefly it consists of a core member which is adapted to be coated with plastic and positioned within a cellular container having rigid outer and shiftable inner walls the latter in the form of separate interfitting plates that are adapted to be pressed against the plastic coating on. the core member by a flexible bag or diaphragm positioned in the cellular space between the rigid and shiftable walls when fluid under pressure is admitted to the bag.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section on. the line 1-1 Fig. 2 and Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 In the drawings:

On a base 3 rest the flanges i of a casing 5 whose vertical faces 6 are overhung by ledges 7 which limit upward movement of side plates 8 having shouldered edges 9 limiting inwardmovement of opposed pairs Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Serial No. 345,702.

of the plates 8 as well as upward movement of a bottom plate 10 also shouldered inarginally as indicated at 11. The base and casing constitute the external rigid walls and the plates 8-10 the internal shiftable walls of a cellular container, a flexible impervious diaphragm or bag 12 being located in the space between the external and internal walls of the container. The bag 12 is preferably formed of vulcanized rubber in two pieces marginally scaled between the base 3 and overlying flanges l ofthe casing by the clamp bolts `13. Preferably also but not necessarily the bag 12 is formed with dovetailed ribs 14 fitting into correspondingly shaped grooves in the side and bottom plates 8--10 and thereby the plates are retained in approximate working relation. Through piping 15 and a valve (not shown) fluid, such as water under pressure, may be admitted,` to the diaphragm 12 to shift the plates 8 and 10 against a plastic mass 16 previously appliedV i to a hollow core member 17 having transverse grooves 18 for forming grid supporting cleats in the finished jars. A latch 20 pivoted at 21 is adapted to bridge the opening in the top of the casing to hold the core member 17 against upward vertical displacement, the opposite free end of the latch being adapted to enter a slot 22 atl the opposed side of the casing.

In operation plastic material, such as a rubber composition high in sulfur, is applied in a core member 17, and two or more pieces of sheet composition may be used. ln illustration two pieces are first set in the grooves 18 to form the cleats, a third piece is then applied to the bottom of the core, and vfinally the fourth piece is wrapped around the sides of the core member flush with the bottom. lThe coated core is then positioned within the mold and pressure of from 200 to 2000 pounds per square inch according to the character of the plastic mass is applied for from say 15 to 30 seconds to the diaphragm. Plates 8-10 are thereby moved together as far as their interfitting shouldered edges 9-11 permit and compress the external face of the plastic mass which is to form the jar whose interior is of course formed by the core member. Excess plastic material moves upwardly into the space indicated by the numeral 23 but if desired the plates 8 may be provided with an overhang closing this space off completely and forming the upper sov edge of the ar. When the diaphragm is relieved of pressure the coated core may be removed and placed in a vulcaniaer.v Aft vulcanization, which renders the plastic material hard and stiff, the jar is finished by trimming its edges even and grinding the bottom level.

In case the plates 8*?0 adhere to the plastic when pressure on the diaphragm is relieved, a vacuum or partial vacuum may be applied to the diaphragm to separate them.

'The simplicity of the apparatus of the present invention renders it easy to manufacture. It may also be operated more rapidly than prior constructions to produce articles of uniform shape, size and thickness of walls. The hydraulic operation of the plates through a surounding flexible diaphragm which constrictingly presses the plates against the plastic coated core member is an especiallyv valuable feature of the inventionV as it avoids the laborious and slow arrangements of the prior art.

While a hollow article is preferably formed by compressing the plates against the external faces of aplastic mass supported internally by a core, obviously it could be formed by expanding the plates through a diaphragm inclosed within the cavity formed vby the plates and against the internalfaces of a plastic coating lining a cavity whose Walls are relatively immovable. In other Words instead of forming the 'hollow article by moving the plates against its external surfaces, it might be formed by pressing the plates Voutwardly against its internal faces. But for practical reasons the illustrated form of the invention is preferred.

In its broad aspects the invention is not limited to use with a single core member inasmuch as the core could be made in a plurality of parts spaced to accommodate partitions so as to permit formation of plural compartment battery jars, the movementl of opposed side plates 8 androf the bottom plate l0 transverse the opposed faces of the single core member 17 illustrated being peculiarly well suited to close the junctions of partition walls with the sides and bottom of the jar. In the formation of single compartment battery jars the bottom plate 10 may be held against movement by the diaphragm l2 if desired.

It is to be distinctly understood that the principles, of the invention may be incorporated in various other forms of construction than those mentioned and therefore recourse should be had tothe appended claims for an understanding of its scope.

plurality ofl relatively movable parts, and

a single fluid pressure diaphragm for simultaneously moving some of said parts into juxtaposition with the other parts to shape a mass of plastic to a predetermined form.

A plastic shaping mold for mal-:ing hollow articles including a member having rigid side and bottom walls for shaping a surface of the article, a plurality of shiftable plates for shaping the entire opposite surface of the article, and hydraulically operable flexible means for shifting said plates to effect a shaping of the article.

3. A plastic shaping mold including a member and a plurality of plates for shapingl the external and internal faces of a i hollow article, and flexible means for 1nov ing the plates and exerting a uniform pressure simultaneously upon all surfaces of the plastic mass in shaping' it to a form pre determined by the member and plates.

il mold for hollow articles comprising plates shouldered to intcrfit together to form a box-like cavity, a core member adapted to be coated with plastic and introduced into said cavity, a flexible member encompassing said plate members, a rigid container inclosing said flexible member, and means for conducting fluid under pressure to said flexible member whereby the plates may be forcibly shifted together to compress the plastic coating on said core member.

A5. A mold for making battery jars comprisin0V a container having rigid bottom and side walls and having relatively movable side and bottom plates within its rigid walls, a diai'ihragm intermediate said plates and container, a core member adapted to be positioned within the cavity formed by said plates, and means for conducting fluid un der pressure to said diaphragm whereby a plastic mass of rubber positioned between the plates and core member may be compressed to a predetermined shape.

6. il plastic shaping mold including a rigid container, a core member, shiftable plates intermediate said core member and container and shaped at their edges to mutually limit each others movement toward the core member, a fluid-tight flexible diaphragm intermediate the plates and container, and means for conducting fluid to and from the diaphragm to shift the plates relative to a plastic mass between the core and plates.

'7. A plastic shaping mold including a core having a plurality of flat surfaces, a plurality of plates each opposed to a flat surface of the core, said core and plates being adapted to shape a hollow article eX- ternally and internally, a rigid container, flexible means within the container and operable constrictingly upon the plates to shift them to a position in predetermined spaced oli relation with the core whereby a plastic 13u coating on the core may be shaped by fluid pressure applied to the flexible means, said core and plates being open upwardly to permit the escape of an excess of material.

8. A plastic shaping mold including a member and a plurality ofrplates for shaping the external and internal faces of a hollow article, flexible means confining said plates loosely in working relation and adapted under pressure to shift the plates and thereby shape a plastic mass to a given form.

9. A plastic shaping mold including a former adapted tov be coated with plastic, and a container adapted to receive the coated former and including outer rigid walls and a plurality of separate and independent inner walls, and means intermediate the walls of the container for shifting some of said inner walls to compress the plastic coating on the former.

10. A plastic shaping mold including a former adapted to be coated with plastic, and a container adapted to receive the coated former and including outer rigid walls and a plurality of separate and independent inner walls, and a fluid operable diaphragm intermediate the walls for shifting1 one or more of said inner walls to compress the plastic coating on said former.

ll. The method of manufacturing hollow rubber articles consisting in shaping a plastic mass roughly to form by hand, finally to form by mechanical pressure, and finally fixing the shape of the plastic mass by vulcanization with one of its surfaces entirely free and unconfined.

Signed at New Brunswick, county of Middlesex, and State of New Jersey, this 10th day of December, 1919.

HARRY WEIDA. 

